Tanzanian wasn't paraded naked: Karnataka government

Karnataka state government dismisses reports that the 21-yr-old student was stripped; 5 held

Bengaluru: Amidst the outrage over the alleged assault and stripping of a 21-year-old Tanzanian woman, the Karnataka government yesterday said five persons were arrested in connection with the incident. However, the government refuted the claims that she was paraded naked.

The car in which the Tanzanian student was travelling with three friends was set ablaze by a mob in Bengaluru

As the incident took a serious diplomatic turn, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, “Case has been registered, five of them (accused) have been arrested. Sushma Swaraj also spoke to me, I will also be sending her a report through my Chief Secretary,” he told reporters at the global investors meet in Bengaluru. Facing flak over the incident, Siddaramaiah said he has asked the police to conduct an inquiry on why a complaint was not lodged immediately.

Meanwhile, in Delhi, Tanzanian High Commissioner John W H Kijazi said he had sent a complaint to the Centre and sought prompt action against those behind the ‘unfortunate’ incident. He urged the government to reinforce security in localities where African students reside.

“We request the Government of India to ensure safety and security of our students in Bengaluru and all other places in India,” he said.

Sec 355 omitted: Bengaluru DGPBengaluru DGP Om Prakash yesterday said, initially the victim did not say anything about being stripped and paraded. Hence, the police did not include Section 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person) of the IPC while registering an FIR.

Assault not racial: K’taka Home MinisterKarnataka Home Minister G Parmeshwara yesterday said that the alleged brutal attack on a Tanzanian student in the city was ‘not a racial one’. “Its not a racial attack. It is just a response to the accident. Bengaluru does not have that kind of an attitude,” he said.

The dark side

>> September 7, 2015: A Nigerian student in Pune raised concerns with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh over the alleged discrimination faced by him and his fellow Africans nationals.

>> March 9, 2015: Three African nationals were attacked by a gang of 20 in Byrati, near Hennur Road, northeast Bengaluru. The victims alleged that the attack had racial undertones.

>> July 13, 2013: Wandoh Timothi, a national of the Ivory Coast working with an IT company in Bengaluru, was assaulted by a group of 12 hoodlums in a suspected hate crime. The hooligans hurled racial abuses while assaulting him.